Still thinking of you
by ryu-chan the dragon of dreams
Summary: R/Cl slash in the making. PG for now, prolly R in later chappies! Will a blossoming love be split by a world threatening to tear it apart? *update*
1. Arrival

Hey all! Ryushinuki here. Thanks for checking out my story in progress. I only pray that it won't entirely suck, but you know. what the hell, right? As long as it's there!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of FF VII or their elements. except for me. Steal me, and I'll hunt you down.  
  
Quick note: this is a Rufus/Cloud slash story. DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THIS PAIRING!! Yaoi in eventual chapters, yay! Now onto your reading pleasure!!  
  
~ Still thinking of you ~  
  
5:34 am. That was the time that the digital clock read, it's red glow shimmering across the white room. Rufus couldn't sleep. Even if the world suddenly came to a screeching end, he still felt unable to sleep. He sighed, shifted the covers and got out of bed. He slipped on his slippers and stretched, and slowly ambled over to the giant bay window. Pushing the curtains aside, he looked out the window to the coming day ahead, and smiled faintly.  
Rufus was excited, and that was all there was to it. He had been excited all week, and finally the day had come. Rufus' best child hood friend was flying in this evening, a friend Rufus hadn't seen or spoken to in two or three years. The last time the two had met was on Rufus' fourteenth birthday party back home. Rufus was turning seventeen this year, and was going to be made the vice president of ShinRa Co. He wasn't at all ready for it and did not want to me made a part of his father's prospering company, for he had other ideas, like traveling the Planet and spending time away from the big city. Midgar was just too bland and confining for his tastes, and he couldn't wait to leave. Leave for good if he could manage it.  
Rufus had been ecstatic when he received the telegram from home. His mother had written that his best child hood friend had decided to fly in for Rufus' birthday a few months early, and that he would be at ShinRa Co. at seven that Friday. So naturally, Rufus had been bouncing off of the walls in anticipation for Friday to hurry up and get there, wanting to skip his private lessons and wait at the heliopad on the top of the ShinRa main building. However, Tseng had gotten there before he could think it, and he was promptly sent back to wherever he was to be every time. But now it was Friday, and Rufus could barely keep himself from screaming out loud. So he watched the sun rise to keep his mind off of things, and thought of the evening to come. Just then the clock's screaming alarm came on, signaling the start of the business day.  
Rufus smiled briefly, turned away from the shower of pink and gold, and walked to the bathroom to freshen up to the day.  
  
Lunch had passed slower than a turtle, and the rest of the day had passed at a snail's pace. It was 3:04 in the afternoon and Rufus was looking out the window, chewing his eraser as Tseng lectured him. They were in the middle of a lesson on summon materia when Tseng noticed the young president-to-be daydreaming out of the nearby window. Tseng coughed loudly, but Rufus did nothing: he just continued to stare out the window and think of the evening. Finally, Tseng took action.  
" Rufus, sir?" he said loudly. Rufus leapt from the seat with a squeak, his pencil hitting the ground with an audible thunk.  
" Um, yeah Tseng?" he answered timidly. Rufus had only been caught thinking out of terms once before, and the result hadn't been pretty. He bent down to pick up his pencil mainly avoiding Tseng's eye, while Tseng sighed and closed the book with a snap.  
" Sir, I know you're excited for this evening, but if you do not learn about summoning materia."  
" Yes, Tseng, I know. Father will scream and yell and give me time in the filing hall, right?" said Rufus blandly. President ShinRa was very strict when it came to work, and if Rufus didn't know even one minor detail about one minor thing he would then send him down to the filing room and see to it that Rufus did not leave until every last thing (or detail, whichever worked best) was filed.  
" Not only that, Mr. Vice President, but I will be detained and removed from my job." Rufus winced at the words "Mr. Vice President." He knew that Tseng knew very well not to call him that, but he couldn't blame him in the currant situation.  
" Yes, of course. I'm sorry, Tseng." Tseng shook his head.  
" No need to be sir. Now if you'll kindly pay attention we may be able to finish this lesson before your friend arrives." Rufus felt his face lighten as he suddenly remembered about later that evening.  
" Yes, Tseng, of course. Please continue." Tseng smiled slightly and opened the book back up to the chapter on summoning materia, continuing with the lesson at full speed.  
  
Rufus found himself in front of the mirror at 6:30, fretfully messing with his thin bangs and trying to get them to stay in place. He only had to wait another half-hour before he would be up on the heliopad, waiting for the helicopter to arrive and for all of his mounted tension to leave him. He growled loudly as he almost ripped his bangs out of his head in a final attempt to fix them. Rufus finally gave up and just combed them back, letting them fall around his crystalline blue eyes to their own accord. Rufus snuffed: that was the best they'd looked all day, and without any of his effort. Just then Tseng knocked on the door, and poked his head through.  
" Mr. Rufus, sir? The helicopter has just radioed in, and. they're ahead of schedule. They'll be arriving a few minutes earlier than planned." Rufus spun around, and felt a huge smile break out over his face.  
" Really? When will they be here, Tseng?" The Chinese man looked a little apprehensive to answer, but answered anyway.  
" ETA read in seven minutes, but I don't see how-"  
" Really? Sweet! I'll be up there in three!" Rufus leapt off the stool he was sitting on and tore across the room, grabbing his jacket off of a nearby chair as he hurtled past Tseng and through the door. He ripped down the hallway, knocking over a nearby statuette, and all Tseng heard was a faint "Thank you" from down the hall. He smiled, closed the young teenager's door, and followed to the roof.  
Rufus was still buttoning his jacket as the elevator reached the top floor with a faint "ding." He practically ripped the doors open in an attempt to get to the heliopad, and nearly wet himself as he found Tseng there waiting for him.  
" Tseng? How DO you do that?" Tseng smiled discreetly.  
" Ancient Chinese Secret!" he replied, getting a deserving laugh from Rufus in response. He watched as Rufus walked over to the edge of the building and looked up at the sky, waiting for what he had been waiting for all week. Tseng smiled. It was nice to see Rufus happy and joyful, not all bound up by his lessons and work. He was actually getting a chance to be himself, a 16-year-old teen who just wanted to have some fun. His birthday was coming up in a few months (November, to be more precise) and he had more things to accomplish by then that an acrobat in training. Suddenly, a cry brought Tseng back to reality, and as he looked to Rufus he saw that the boy was pointing up at the clouds, jumping up and down as if he were a six-year-old boy at a carnival asking for some cotton candy.  
" Look, Tseng, look! There he is, there's the chopper!" Sure enough, a ShinRa Co. chopper was making its way across the bright flashing lights of Midgar towards the tall building. Tseng went and stood by Rufus, who was wringing his hands together and chewing his lip impulsively. Tseng smiled and put his hand on Rufus' shoulder to calm the boy down.  
Rufus felt Tseng's hand on his shoulder no doubt there to calm him down, his he just couldn't. He continued wringing his hands and bouncing up and down as if on a trampoline.  
" Mr. Rufus, sir, you might want to set a good impression on your friend by remaining composed to welcome him." At these words, Rufus started to regain his composure, and decided to stand attentively in wait. The helicopter landed slowly, and finally managed the attempt. It shut down slowly, the blades slowing to their own accord and finally coming to a stop. Rufus was to busy watching them to realize that the chopper door had opened and that a boy's figure was visible. An audible laugh brought him back.  
" Well, well. Rufus ShinRa, I presume?" The smooth voice cut through the air as Rufus turned to look at its owner. Sea green eyes met crystalline blue, thick blonde hair met wispy gold. A smirk met Rufus' detained smile as he walked to the chopper, a hand extended.  
" Cloud Strife," Rufus answered. Cloud suddenly burst out laughing and, knocking the hand aside, leapt on Rufus with the force of a bear, pinning him to the floor in a tight hug.  
" What's with the formality? Long time no see, buddy! Jeez, it's great to see you, man!" Cloud helped him up with a large grin, and Rufus caught himself laughing, his excitement boiling over.  
" Same to you, Cloud! Jesus, it's been SO long, hasn't it?" Cloud gave a small shrug.  
" I guess, if you call two and a half years a long time," he said with a laugh.  
" Well come on down to the living room and we'll get to talking!" Rufus said as he started to lead Cloud to the elevator. The two were chatting the whole way, socking each other and fake tripping each other like old times. Tseng smiled and followed with the luggage, happy to see Rufus and Cloud back together again.  
  
And done! R&R, please!! Merci!! Au revoir, maintenant!! 


	2. Late night chat

Whoohoo, chapter two! Thank you for sticking with it, I love you all! (Ooooo, things get steamy this chappie! Go, Cloud, go!)  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of it's elements. except me. Steal me, and I'll hunt you down.  
  
~ Still thinking of you, chapter two ~  
  
It was three in the morning, and the boys had finally settled down enough to really start "talking." They had raided the kitchen when Cloud had flown in, pulled pranks on the cleaning maids, had a small but deadly lethal kick boxing tournament resulting in Rufus almost losing an eye, and had basically just turned the whole of the ShinRa house upside down (which included seven plugged toilets and an unrecognizable living room.) The two had made their way to Rufus' room and were now sitting on the bed, a bowl of popcorn and some Reeses snack sizes out between them. Cloud was stretched out on the foot of the bed, where Rufus was sitting cross-legged near his pillows at the head. Cloud was the first to start the questions.  
" So, where exactly has life taken you, Ruff? Like, what're your plans for later life and stuff?"  
" Father wants to make me vice president on my birthday, if that's what you mean." Rufus answered with a sad tone. Cloud was confused. How could someone with such a cool sounding future be pained by it? For all he knew, Cloud thought that being a vice president for a multimillion company would be a sweet vicinity. He continued stuffing his face with popcorn as Rufus continued.  
" Not that it wouldn't be cool an' all, but I just don't want that responsibility yet," Rufus sighed with contempt. " I want to get out some and see the Planet. I haven't been free of this city for years, ever since I left Neibelhiem. I want to be free again, Cloud!" He slid of the bed and walked over to the bay window. Moving the curtains aside, Rufus sat on the cushions and let his head fall against the panes. The rain outside created a waterfall look on the window, and the view outside was murky and blurred. Rufus sighed again.  
" I just. want to be me for a while." Cloud watched his child hood friend with remorse. He had no idea that Rufus had been locked up like some barnyard animal for the last three years and denied his life. It was sickening: disgusting, even. Sure, Cloud had his expense of work and school, but he always had time to himself to do just as he pleased. He couldn't see someone like Rufus not doing what he or she pleased. It was a really saddening sight to see him curled up on the bay couch, watching the rain fall and beat against the windowpanes as he looked out with hopeful eyes, almost like a bird in a cage.  
Cloud slid from the silk sheets and walked over to the window, sitting on the other edge of the bay couch. He nudged Rufus with a foot, and gave him a small smile.  
" You know, everything's gonna be alright. You've got me now!" Cloud said while he stretched out his arms like an actor. He winked at Rufus reassuringly, giving his eyes a kiddy glint that brought back memories of their childhood to Rufus' mind. He smiled in return, and nodded.  
" You know, you're right! Now that you're here, I don't feel so empty anymore. It's nice having the past back." Rufus moved to the edge of the couch and he swung his feet over to find his slippers. An arm around his shoulders brought his head up, only for his eyes to be inches from Cloud's. Cloud's hand squeezed his right shoulder, and he gave Rufus another smile.  
" Yeah, it is nice having the past back. The last three years have really sucked, having to grow up without you there. We were like brothers back then, and we still are now, right?" Rufus gave a large smile back.  
" Yeah, we are still brothers!" Rufus wrapped his left arm around Cloud's shoulders and squeezed the left one. Cloud smiled, and Rufus smiled back. Suddenly, Rufus busted out laughing, and for some reason Cloud started to laugh too. Two boys, hugging each other sentimentally? He couldn't help but laugh. He expected it was from being so delirious. After all, it was three in the morning. The two slowly made their way back to the bed while knocking over two tables and a chair in the attempt. Regaining their composure, they sat in their old spots again and started to talk again.  
" So how's your mom?" Rufus asked, unwrapping a Reeses from the foot tall pile. Cloud shrugged.  
" You know, same ol' mom. She hasn't changed much, except for she's been trying to find me a girl. Wants the family to keep going, I expect." Rufus scowled.  
" I think that you should be able to choose who you love, personally." Cloud nodded furiously.  
" Seriously! That's what I said. She keeps setting me up with Tifa. I told here nothing was going to happen, and so far nothing has. Tifa and I are just friends anyway, so it's pretty damn unlikely that anything will EVER happen." Rufus laughed. He always knew that Tifa had a crush on Cloud, ever since her mom had died and the whole falling off of the bridge with Cloud incident had occurred years back.  
" So what about you, Ruff? Got anybody's eye lately?" Cloud asked with a smirk. Rufus rolled his eyes and sighed.  
" I wish there wasn't. Every time I try to do business with someone, they always seem to be girls. I hate the all the attention. it's unwanted, anyway," he added. Cloud "psh-ed" him with wide eyes.  
" Are you kidding? Shit man, I would kill to have that sort of attention! You must be nuts." Rufus snorted.  
" Well, I find it most uncomfortable. I'm not looking for anyone and I certainly don't want anyone as young as I am now. I want some experience in the world before I do anything rash like that."  
" Amen to that. Well said," Cloud said with a heaved sigh. Suddenly he whistled. " Damn, it's fuckin' hot in here! Since when did it get so hot, Ruff?" Cloud sat up and took of his shirt, which startled Rufus a bit. Perfectly sculpted muscles lay under a tight layer of bronze-gold skin, chiseled features giving way to a remarkable beauty. Rufus felt his face grow hot, and quickly look down. No man had ever removed their shirt in his presence so unannounced, and it threw Rufus off a bit. Cloud tossed his shirt aside and looked to Rufus. He saw the blush in the boys' cheeks, and raised an eyebrow.  
" Um, Ruff?" Rufus squeaked as he was brought back to the moment. He looked up at Cloud, who was in the midst of giving him a quizzical look.  
" Sorry. I usually don't react like this. I don't know why I did now." Rufus leapt from the bed and proceeded to open the bay window. He fumbled with the lock and finally pushed the glass open, a cool fall breeze making it's way past him and into the room behind him. Why had he reacted that way? He'd never ever blushed before when he had seen a guy shirtless. The cool air was nice against Rufus' face, and he felt the heat receding. But he still felt way too warm to breathe, and he hitched up his shirt, took it off and tossed it to the corner of the room. His body welcomed the breeze as it enveloped his every sense, bringing his mind to a state of tranquil.  
Meanwhile, behind him, Cloud wasn't doing too well. He was still confused. He heard Rufus unlock the window and heard it creak as it opened, but he was too busy thinking. Why had Rufus reacted that way? They used to go swimming when they were younger, like it was any different now. Cloud turned his head to glance at Rufus, only to see him take off his shirt and toss it to the corner. Now it was Cloud who felt out of place. Rufus' back was tense, giving full view to all the muscles underneath. They reached and stretched over his frame, which was very thin and beautiful. His skin was tight to the muscle beneath, perfectly showing off a very supple prize. Now Cloud felt the blood rise and he too looked away. Shit, why was HE reacting this way now, too? Rufus was like his brother! This was no way to feel towards a brother, was it?  
Rufus chose at that moment to turn around just as Cloud chose to look away. He felt his eyebrows crease as he saw a blush creep into Cloud's cheeks too. This was getting a little weird. Why were they both reacting this way? It wasn't right for one thing. They were like brothers, and they were both guys. It just felt weird. Rufus gave up on thinking, and shrugged it off. Maybe it was raging hormones, he didn't know. Suddenly, he got an idea and felt a smirk creep over his face.  
" Hey Cloud!" Cloud took a sharp intake of breath as he looked over at Rufus'.  
" Y-Yeah?" he answered timidly. Rufus was smirking in a most disturbing way, which made him blush even more.  
" Wrestle time!" Rufus yelled as he pounced on Cloud. Cloud smiled and answered back.  
" Alright, but you asked for it!" They rolled off the bed with a loud bang and rolled all along the hardwood floor. Running into a dresser along the way, they finally stopped rolling when they reached the rug in the middle of the room. Rufus, who was on bottom at the time, flipped Cloud to his stomach and locked his arms behind his back. Cloud smiled, remembering this trick from when they were younger, and kicked Rufus from behind. Rufus flew with the force of a bullet, smashing into the couch and sending pillows flying everywhere. Cloud screamed and pounced again, only to be met in the face by a Greek embroidered pillow. Rufus leapt from the couch and grabbed Cloud around the middle, forcing him to the floor. Sitting on his abdomen, pinning him to the floor, Rufus reached like lightning for Cloud's wrists and brought them on top of his head. Cloud struggled and lashed about, but couldn't get out of Rufus' death lock. They were both panting loudly, and were both smiling.  
" You always did fight dirty," said Cloud with a pant. Rufus grinned.  
" Yeah, well, as long as I won, huh?" he answered between pants. They stayed in the position for a while, smirking at each other before something hit Cloud with the force of a cannon ball. Rufus - on top of him - pinning him to the floor - possessively. His eyes widened and he swallowed as he slowly felt the blood rush to his cheeks. and somewhere else as well.  
NO! he screamed at himself, clenching his eyes shut. DON'T LET YOURSELF GET AROUSED RIGHT NOW! DO NOT GO TO PHASE TWO! His body reluctantly listened and he felt the blood flowing back up to his face. Opening his eyes, he now realized that Rufus' face was barely inches from his own, and his eyes were pouring into his. He felt his face go from boiling to steaming, and felt as though he could fry an egg there. Oh shit, he thought to himself, now he's gonna think I'm queer or something!  
Rufus, however, did not think that at all. Being sheltered for most of his growing up time, he was very naïve at these things. He was about to get off of Cloud when he observed that Cloud's face was slowly going from flushed to beet red. He didn't understand why at all, and was even more startled when Cloud's eyes clenched shut, as if he were in undeniable pain. He eased himself lower to see if he could read the expression on Cloud's face, when suddenly his eyes shot open again. Rufus saw his reflection deep in those sea green eyes as Cloud's face turned an even darker shade or maroon. He could feel the heat from Cloud's face radiating onto his own, as if he was sick or something. Rufus tilted his head.  
" Cloud, are you feeling alright? You don't look so good," Rufus asked. Cloud winced. There was a soft tone to his voice that was very arousing.  
" Um, y-yeah. it's. it's just a little hard to breathe right now," he answered in a wavering voice. Rufus WAS sitting on his chest, so that remark did make logical sense. Although that certainly was not the reason why he couldn't breathe.  
Rufus looked down, only to see that he was sitting directly on Cloud's chest. Eyes widening with shock, he quickly leapt from Cloud and pulled him to his feet. The teen swayed slightly from blood rush, and clutched to Rufus' shoulders. Rufus was frantic.  
" Oh my goodness, I am so very sorry Cloud! You should've told me I was sitting on your chest like that!" He helped Cloud over to the bed and helped him to sit down. He sat, but shakily. " Cloud, are you alright? You don't look so well, maybe you'd like to see the family doctor? I can call him if you'd like me to."  
" No!" Cloud practically screamed. Rufus took a step back, a look of shock on his face. Oh great, Cloud thought, this is really going somewhere fast. " I'll. I'll be all right. Could I maybe have a wet washrag and a bowl of ice water?" Rufus nodded quickly and eased Cloud onto the pillows. He walked over to the bathroom and disappeared behind the door, and soon Cloud could hear the sound of running water and the clink of ice into a bowl. Cloud took a deep breath and tried to relax. Why was he being this way? He didn't understand it. And anyway, he was interested in girls, right? Right?  
" Maybe it's just the fact that it's four in the morning," Cloud said out loud as he rubbed his temples with his index and middle fingers. He rubbed his eyes with his palms as Rufus came back from the bathroom, a washrag in one hand and a bowl in the other. He immediately made short work of Cloud, tucking him into bed and bathing his forehead with the cold rag. Cloud closed his eyes and was finally able to relax. He was slowly losing control of his senses as everything around him grew fuzzy, and Rufus cooling him down. It wasn't long before Cloud stopped thinking about what was going on with his body altogether and fell into sleep.  
" Cloud?" No response. Good, thought Rufus smiling, he's out like a light. Looks like he needs it too. He stood up and cleaned the bowl out in the bathroom and made the couch into a bed. He stripped down to his boxers and crawled into the makeshift bed, shutting out the lights. It wasn't long before light started to seep in through the bay window curtains, accompanied only by the faint sound of Cloud's snoring. Rufus smiled, and closed his eyes. It was good to have his best friend back with him, and with that final thought he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.  
  
Yay! Done with that chapter (poor Cloud, sniffle) R&R please! Arigato! 


	3. Accusations and Realizations

Yahoo! Chapter three! Enjoy, everyone!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Final Fantasy VII or any of their elements. except me. Steal me, and I'll hunt you down.  
  
Cloud woke the next morning in a daze. He was still tired from earlier, but his body didn't seem to want to sleep any longer. He opened his eyes, and was greeted by a cleaning Tseng, who was currently tidying up Rufus' bedroom from earlier that morning. Cloud yawned and stretched, and sat up in the bed, taking in the cool breeze from the open window. Tseng noticed he was awake, and smiled.  
" All right there, Cloud?" he asked. Cloud looked over at him.  
" Yeah, I guess. what time is it, Tseng?" Tseng pointed to the clock next to the full mirror by the door. The red numbers read 4:07 PM.  
" Holy shit, man! I must've been beat last night or something," Cloud mused while scratching his head. Tseng chuckled.  
" Yes, well, I'd advise you two for no more late nights. At least not when Rufus has to work and have his lessons the next day." Cloud blinked.  
" Wait a minute, he's got to work? Jeez, that blows. And I thought he didn't have lessons on Saturdays?" Tseng's features turned to stone.  
" Let's just say that President ShinRa wanted him ahead of schedule this weekend," he answered darkly. " It's not like the President to push his son this hard. That last time he was pushed like this was four months back when I caught him daydreaming out of the window." Cloud swallowed.  
" Jesus, what did he make Ruff do? Make up work?" Tseng looked at him straight in the eye.  
" Ruff? You're already off of formalities, eh Cloud?" Cloud blushed ever so slightly and looked away.  
" Well, we ARE good friends, so why should we be formal?" Tseng smiled, and returned to straightening out the couch-bed.  
" Yes, you're quite right. Well, Rufus doesn't have make up work, as you call it. He has what the President calls 'extended lessons' which I might add are no more fun." Tseng sighed while Cloud slipped from the bed to find his shirt.  
" Oh yeah? 'Extended lessons' eh? What're those?" Tseng rolled his eyes and folded up a nearby blanket.  
" Rufus is sent down to the secretary's office and is made to file all reports, documents, profiles, magazines, etc until the day's end. Last time he was down there for 14 hours before he was finished. I never caught him daydreaming again, ever." Cloud snorted.  
" That's no way to treat your kid, man. I mean, well, hell! That's just not cool." Tseng looked up at him in the midst of organizing the pillows.  
" Yes, well, as you know the President and Mrs. ShinRa haven't always had the best relationship if you might recall."  
" Oh yeah. I, I forgot all about that," said Cloud quietly. President ShinRa and Mrs. ShinRa were always on each other's bad side when it came to their relationship. But for Rufus' sake they had managed to make it work until Rufus was 14. Then his father packed up and left, taking Rufus with him without a word to Mrs. ShinRa. Rufus had always kept in touch with his mother, but never anyone else. Cloud suspected that he was secretly sending the telegrams to her through Tseng, but never really had an accusation.  
" So Mrs. ShinRa hasn't had any help in Rufus' later years, then?" he asked Tseng timidly. Tseng sighed, an irritated sigh.  
" No. I keep telling the President that it'd be good for Rufus to have some contact with the outside world, but he keeps saying no. He wants Rufus to be a heartless prick and rule Midgar with an iron fist when he's older, just like him." Tseng snorted. " It's disgusting. I always catch Rufus looking out of windows or on-line looking at pictures of trees and flowers. natural things that he hasn't seen in years. I'm disgusted with the way that the President imprisons him, like he's some sort of breeding animal. All I want for Rufus is to be free to make his own choices in life, but so far that prospect looks bleak." He snorted again and picked up the rug, proceeding to shake it out. Cloud was left in thought. He had never known just how mistreated Rufus really was. It was so sickening to think that he had to relay messages to his mother through Tseng in secret, knowing that he could never see his mother or talk with her in person. Cloud didn't think he could manage being cut off from his life in such a manner, a manner in which he could never have any say as long as he was alive.  
" That - that's just not right, Tseng." Tseng gave a snort.  
" Really? You think so, Cloud? Me too," he replied bitterly. Cloud could feel the heat rising in his face, his fists clenching and unclenching.  
" I mean, Jesus Christ, man! What kind of shitbag IS President ShinRa, anyway? It's almost like he's paranoid, or fucking insecure to lock away his only kid like that, it's - it's just fucking sick, Tseng!" Tseng sighed and put the rug back down on the floor, and proceeded to make the bed.  
" Well, I think it's best if we leave this conversation as is for now, Cloud." He fluffed the pillows and smiled. " I think it's about time you had a shower. The bathroom's through there, you'll find everything you need in the sink cabinet." He stared Cloud in the eye, and finally Cloud capitulated.  
" All right, I'll go take a shower then." He walked to the bathroom in defeat, but suddenly turned around and blurted out, " Hey Tseng? When does Ruff get off of work, anyway?"  
" Around seven, I'd like to think," said Tseng quietly. Cloud smiled, disappeared behind the door and shut it with a soft click. Tseng shook his head, a faint smile tracing his lips. He picked up Cloud's discarded shirt, a few of Rufus' clothes, and silently left the room without a sound.  
Cloud walked into the bathroom and shut the door. He turned around, only to find himself gasp in alarm. The bathroom was painted a midnight blue, golden trim lining everything. Quite a change from snow white, Cloud had to observe. A big, blue, fluffy bathmat encompassed the whole of the floor, the tile underneath a beautiful shade of peach. The shower stall was enormous, probably as big as a twin bed, and the bath to the right was no exception either. Cloud figured it was at least the size of a queen-sized. Shower curtains flowed from the stall, golden and blue with moons and stars from top to bottom. Cloud smiled, stripped himself of his pants and boxers, walked into the stall, and turned on the water. Four separate showerheads beat down on him with the force of an elephant, turning his muscles from tense to jelly. He sighed as his body relaxed itself, and he let his mind wander - wander to last night in particular. Cloud's eyebrows creased as he found himself thinking along those lines again. What had happened between Rufus and himself? Why had his body reacted the way it had? Cloud washed his hair quietly, musing over this fact. He just couldn't see why what had happened had happened. He wasn't queer, he knew that much. At least, he thought that much. He now realized that he'd never been attracted to any girls before in his life, and that he didn't think he ever wanted to be. He had spent every day of his childhood with Rufus, always getting teased by the other kids for liking him as if he were a girl. Cloud had always said that they were jealous of not having a friend like Rufus, but now it seemed, well, different. He understood that it'd been three years since they'd seen each other, so he was certain that was what caused his arousal last night. He washed himself up, rinsed, and turned off the water. He stepped out of the stall and turned the fan on. Drying himself off and gelling up his hair, he realized something, something that would probably change his life forever. He was falling for his best friend.  
  
OOOOOOOOOOOOO!! And the drama starts. R&R please, my muse is threatening to set fire to my hair! 


End file.
